Phrasal verbs can sometimes feel confusing, but they are very important for learning everyday English. One of the most useful verbs for making phrasal verbs is look.

When you combine it with different prepositions or adverbs, it changes its meaning completely—and these new meanings are very common in English.

To help you learn, we’ll look at 20 common phrasal verbs with look. Each one will include an explanation and examples to show you how to use it. These phrasal verbs will help you grow your vocabulary and make your English sound more natural. Let’s get started!

Phrasal Verbs with LOOK (and examples)

1. Look after

This means to take care of someone or something.

• Examples:
  • “I have to look after my little sister tonight.”
  • “Can you look after my plants while I’m away?”
  • “He’s looking after his elderly parents.”

2. Look for

This means to search for something or someone.

• Examples:
  • “I’m looking for my keys – have you seen them?”
  • “She’s looking for a new job in marketing.”
  • “We’re looking for volunteers for the event.”

3. Look up

This means to search for information or to improve.

• Examples:
  • “You can look up the word in the dictionary.”
  • “Things are finally looking up for him after a tough year.”
  • “I need to look up directions to the hotel.”

4. Look out

This means to be careful or to watch for something.

• Examples:
  • “Look out! There’s a car coming.”
  • “We need to look out for any suspicious behavior.”
  • “Look out, the floor is slippery.”

5. Look into

This means to investigate or examine something.

• Examples:
  • “The police are looking into the case.”
  • “I’ll look into the issue and get back to you.”
  • “She’s looking into new ways to reduce expenses.”

6. Look forward to

This means to be excited about something in the future.

• Examples:
  • “I’m looking forward to my vacation.”
  • “We look forward to seeing you at the event.”
  • “She’s looking forward to starting her new job.”

7. Look down on

This means to think you’re better than someone.

• Examples:
  • “He looks down on people who don’t agree with him.”
  • “You shouldn’t look down on others just because they’re different.”
  • “Some people look down on manual labor, but it’s vital work.”

8. Look up to

This means to admire or respect someone.

• Examples:
  • “I’ve always looked up to my older brother.”
  • “She looks up to her teacher for guidance.”
  • “Many young athletes look up to professional players.”

9. Look over

This means to review or examine something quickly.

• Examples:
  • “Can you look over my report before I submit it?”
  • “I looked over the contract, and it seems fine.”
  • “He quickly looked over the presentation slides.”

10. Look around

This means to explore or search in a general way.

• Examples:
  • “We looked around the mall for an hour.”
  • “She looked around the house but couldn’t find her phone.”
  • “Let’s look around the city before deciding where to eat.”

11. Look ahead

This means to think about the future.

• Examples:
  • “It’s important to look ahead and plan for retirement.”
  • “Looking ahead, we expect to see more changes in the industry.”
  • “He always looks ahead and sets goals for himself.”

12. Look through

This means to quickly examine the contents of something.

• Examples:
  • “She looked through the stack of papers for the missing file.”
  • “I’ll look through the photos and pick the best ones.”
  • “He looked through his notes before the meeting.”

13. Look back

This means to reflect on the past.

• Examples:
  • “When I look back, I realize how much I’ve learned.”
  • “Looking back, they saw how their efforts paid off.”
  • “Don’t look back; focus on the future.”

14. Look out for

This means to watch for or protect someone or something.

• Examples:
  • “Please look out for my package—it should arrive today.”
  • “She always looks out for her younger siblings.”
  • “We need to look out for potential risks in the project.”

15. Look at

This means to focus on something visually or analyze it.

• Examples:
  • “Look at the sky; it’s so clear tonight.”
  • “We need to look at the data carefully before deciding.”
  • “Can you look at this for me and give your opinion?”

16. Look about

This means to search for something in your surroundings.

• Examples:
  • “He looked about the room for his phone.”
  • “She looked about the garden for the lost earring.”
  • “They were looking about for a quiet place to talk.”

17. Look up and down

This means to inspect someone or something critically.

• Examples:
  • “She looked him up and down before deciding to trust him.”
  • “He looked the car up and down before making an offer.”
  • “They looked her up and down, impressed by her outfit.”

18. Look to

This means to depend on someone for help or inspiration.

• Examples:
  • “They look to their manager for guidance.”
  • “We should look to experts for advice on this issue.”
  • “She looks to her parents for emotional support.”

19. Look away

This means to turn your eyes away from something.

• Examples:
  • “He looked away when the scary scene came on.”
  • “She looked away, embarrassed by the mistake.”
  • “I couldn’t look away from the beautiful sunset.”

20. Look out for yourself

This means to take care of your own needs or interests.

• Examples:
  • “You need to look out for yourself in this situation.”
  • “She always reminds her friends to look out for themselves.”
  • “It’s important to look out for yourself when setting boundaries.”

Wrapping Up Phrasal Verbs with LOOK

Learning phrasal verbs with look can make your English sound more natural and expressive. The key is to practice using them in sentences and conversations to reinforce their meanings.

Using ELSA to Master Phrasal Verbs

Our ELSA app is the perfect tool to practice these phrasal verbs. With personalized lessons and instant feedback, ELSA helps you improve your pronunciation and confidence in using English fluently.

Download ELSA today and start mastering phrasal verbs like look up, look forward to, and many more!

More on phrasal verbs here